Age is irrelevant to my teacher/cop analogy. Both in the course of doing their jobs may have to put up with a little disrespectful back talk, and both have the obligation to show restraint and not crack any heads in response. Or not make an arrest simply for being yelled at.
I will say it again, just to be clear. I have no doubt that Gates probably acted like a pompous fucking asshole. He shouldn't have done that.
But once the cop established his identity, in Gates' home, then he should NOT have arrested him. He hadn't done anything illegal. The cop abused his authority. Do you disagree?
What, do you have some chip on your shoulders about Harvard professors? Had a bad experience there? I really don't care about Gates as an individual, or the fact that he teaches at Harvard.
I actually think people should be civil and kind to everybody they come into contact with, including cops, unless there is good reason otherwise.
And you have the nerve to call me stupid? And to say I am constructing strawman?
Yeah, you wasted three posts on me, and you never really had anything to say.
Sheldon
On Fri, Jul 31, 2009 at 10:15 PM, Jordan Hayes<jmhayes at j-o-r-d-a-n.com> wrote:
> Sheldon is really off the deep end now:
>
>> I used to be a teacher in a pretty tough inner-city school.
>> And occasionally I was on the receiving end of some pretty rough
>> back talk and disrespect. However, to be professional required
>> that I not punch some kid in the mouth for his back talk
>> regardless of how much he or she pissed me off.
>
> Ok, let me get this straight: When an adult acts like a child, he should
> demand that he be treated like one, i.e., the way you treated children,
> i.e., you didn't punch them. And Henry Gates is a child, and the cop didn't
> punch him, which doesn't make him a child afterall, because he's really a
> Harvard Professor. Or something.
>
> Look at me: I wasted my three posts today on you.
>
> /jordan
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